New Delhi: The Anti-Corruption Branch of the Delhi-NCT government has arrested Dr Vinod Kumar Ranga on Thursday in a corruption case for alleged irregularities in the procurement of medicines, medical equipment, and surgical items and consumables. The case was filed under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, with sections of criminal conspiracy under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhitha (BNSS) 2023.
The arrest follows the FIR filed on 2 June based on the complaint, received from the Directorate of Vigilance, which alleged that specific public servants and private persons participated in a criminal conspiracy and manipulated the procurement processes, conditions of tenders and technical specifications to provide an unfair advantage to certain selected suppliers and firms. This further caused illicit gain for the concerned private parties and a loss to the government exchequer.
Dr Ranga was previously the Head of Office (HOO) for the Central Procurement Agency (CPA) at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD).
Additionally, it was alleged that the specifications were customised to favour certain suppliers, which excluded legitimate competitors from the bidding process.
Moreover, funds belonging to the government amounting to several hundred crores of rupees were misused.
According to the Joint Commissioner of Police, Vikramjit Singh, the allegations included purchases of a range of healthcare products at hugely inflated prices by manipulating rates.
These purchases included portable X-ray machines, C-arm radiological equipment, anaesthesia workstations, oral rehydration solution (ORS), surgical consumables, medicines, and bed sheets and linen supplied to government health facilities.
During the investigation, officials scrutinised documents, procurement records, and other related documents linked to the purchases that were being probed.
Investigators also found that several key files related to the procurement process were unavailable because the records were under the custody of Dr Ranga.
According to JCP, Vikramjit Singh, Dr Ranga was questioned as part of the investigation but allegedly failed to satisfactorily account for the missing records or clarify certain aspects of the procurement process.
In a press release, Singh said, “His (Dr Ranga’s) custodial interrogation was found necessary to recover the missing files, unearth the larger conspiracy, identify other beneficiaries and co-conspirators, to establish the money trail and recover incriminating documentary and electronic evidence.”
Dr Ranga was produced before court on Friday. The court has granted officials four days of police custody to probe the matter further.
Singh indicated that the investigation is not limited to a single official. The role of other public servants, suppliers, private individuals and beneficiaries allegedly linked to procurement decisions is also being examined.
(Edited by Vidhi Bhutra)
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